The Cosmic Duets project exploits Gaia’s high angular resolution to select multiple AGN and combines low and high spatial resolution spectroscopy to distinguish dual AGN from those that are gravitationally lensed, with sub-arcsec separations. A Large Program of 138 hours with MUSE at the VLT will allow the observation of 150 systems to measure the masses, luminosities and separations of merging black holes, estimate the dual fraction and provide observational constraints on the rate of gravitational wave events anticipated with the LISA space mission. The lensed systems observed in this programme will also allow the detailed study of the internal structure of lens galaxies, constrain the distribution of baryonic and dark matter, and estimate the initial stellar mass function.
Antonio Meucci, the Florentine inventor of the telectrophone, is a key figure in the history of telecommunications who has been forgotten for way too long. Starting from his cultural and technical roots in Florence, Meucci’s contribution preceded the principles at the basis of long-distance voice transmission by decades. This article traces the stages of his life and work, comparing them with the evolution of modern communication, all the way through to the smartphone. Taking a historical and scientific approach, it aims to restore Meucci to his rightful place in the memory of science and technology.
The 66th National Congress of the Italian Astronomical Society (SAIt) was held at Palazzo Affari in Florence from the 3rd to the 6th of June. The event was a valuable opportunity for the Italian astronomical community to connect, share recent research and discuss the past, present and future of astrophysics in Italy.
In summer 1862, astronomer Giovanni Battista Donati travelled to London on a study trip commissioned by the Ministry of Education. Here we present an unabridged version of his little-known report on the trip, along with some documents relating to the reimbursement of Donati’s expenses.
The first edition of a three-day workshop dedicated entirely to binary systems in star clusters and beyond was held at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Florence. The goal of the workshop, organized as part of the ERC-funded StarDance project, led by Dr. Pancino, was to bring together experts in simulations of detailed binary evolution and population synthesis codes, asteroseismologists and observers of binary stars in different environments (e.g., open vs globular clusters) to share ideas, discuss current results and build new collaborations that can help us take the field a step further.
The villa where Galileo Galilei spent the last years of his life stands on the Arcetri hillside, south of Florence. In 1633, the house became his place of forced residence, in accordance with the sentence imposed by the Holy Office. The scientist found comfort in the presence of his followers, who remained with him until his final hours, learning about science from him. In honour of Galileo’s life, various scientific institutes began to establish themselves on the hill in the 19th century. These included the Astronomical Observatory, the University’s Institute of Physics and the National Institute of Optics. These institutions, which in later years changed their names to reflect those of their current parent organisations, have been home to illustrious scientists who gave them the prestige they still enjoy today and which has grown over the years. For these reasons, Arcetri Hill was named a Historic Site of the European Physics Society in 2013. The research institutions based on the hill developed the idea of creating a “science park” in these places, which also benefit from the beauty of the Tuscan landscape. The park includes the recently restored Villa di Galileo and a tour of the various institutes, allowing the dissemination of scientific knowledge of the highest value and historical significance which is still very much alive in the field of state-of-the-art physics research. The paper describes the process behind this initiative and briefly outlines the work already carried out on both the Villa and the institutes, paying tribute to all those who made the project possible, to the support received from the research bodies involved and to the generous support, not only in terms of funding, provided over the years by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze.
The iSEEDS (astrochemIcal Study of Early Embedded DiskS) project has received €1.3 million in funding by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) through the Fondo Italiano per la Scienza (FIS 2). The project aims to investigate the physical and chemical properties of protostellar disks - the birthplace of planetary systems - with the ultimate goal of constraining the initial conditions for planet formation.
How atmospheric muons made a comeback to the Department of Physics and Astronomy in Firenze. The same Department that saw the birth of cosmic ray physics with Bruno Rossi and Giuseppe Occhialini.
The Solar Tower, a characteristic feature of Arcetri hill and emblem of the Observatory’s transition to astrophysics studies, was inaugurated one hundred years ago, on 22 June 1925. We celebrate the anniversary by transcribing the account of the inauguration and the speech given by the director of the Observatory Giorgio Abetti.
Modularity is a particularly powerful symmetry with many applications in theoretical physics and mathematics, in particular quantum field theory and string theory. Resurgence is a general framework for advanced asymptotics which effectively unifies perturbative and non-perturbative physics via an intricate network of algebraic relations known as Ecalle’s bridge equations. Modularity and resurgence overlap strongly in the exploration of non-perturbative completions of perturbative data, leading to profound new insights into the connection between weak coupling and strong coupling, and in the study of dualities, black holes and quantum gravity. The goal of this GGI Workshop was to bring together experts from these two frontier areas in theoretical and mathematical physics to foster further interaction between different scientific communities and to develop novel strategies to address truly significant problems.
The third edition of a three-day workshop entitled “Cosmic Rays: the salt of the star formation recipe 3” was held at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Florence. The goal of the workshop proposed was to bring together experts in theory and simulations of cosmic-ray propagation, astrochemists and observers to share ideas, discuss recent and current results, and identify the key challenges regarding the chemistry and physics of cosmic rays in the near future.
The program brought together leading scientists working on key open issues and challenging questions in neutrino physics, a field notoriously rich in interdisciplinary connections, particularly astrophysics and cosmology. This is a domain where crucial progress has been made, many key open questions remain to be answered, important novel developments are ongoing and new connections with other domains are being uncovered. The program had two central goals. The first was to train PhD students and postdocs with lectures on neutrino physics, neutrino astrophysics and cosmology from internationally renowned scientists. The second was to create a collaborative and brainstorming atmosphere around key open issues and to foster our knowledge of neutrino frontiers thanks to a fruitful cross-breeding between different theoretical areas.
Astrobiology has made remarkable progress in the last 30 years. From the discovery of exoplanets to the development of atmospheric characterisation techniques and relevant in situ missions to objects in the solar system, there has been an explosion in studies of where, when and how life might form (and thrive) in the Universe. However, by its nature, Astrobiology is a new kind of wildly interdisciplinary (or even transdisciplinary) science requiring extensive collaborations across fields as diverse as geology, planetary science, biology, ecology and even anthropology and history. In this workshop (perhaps the first in a series), we focus on progress in the field with a focus on the “blind spots” that currently exist. Given the progress being made, we ask what kinds of perspectives are needed and how these blind spots might be addressed. The organisers aim to build new, interdisciplinary networks of collaboration to address the most exciting and challenging issues surr ounding life in the cosmos.
The workshop drew experts from the Supernova Remnants, Pulsars and Pulsar Wind Nebulae communities, both from a multi-wavelengths observational point of view and a theoretical perspective. Recent developments in these fields were discussed, with broader coverage of the related physical processes (such as acceleration and propagation of particles, relevance of the sources for Galactic Cosmic Rays). Particular attention was also devoted to statistical methods in astrophysics. The workshop also provided an opportunity to celebrate the career of Rino Bandiera who successfully dedicated most of his career to the aforementioned matters and retired this year.
2024 marked the 70th anniversary of the publication of Atoms in the Family, Laura Capon Fermi’s novel in which the author reconstructs the biography of her husband Enrico Fermi. Some documents preserved at the University of Chicago – believed to be unpublished – shed light on the sources used to write the novel. In particular, a letter from Adele Galeotti Rasetti, mother of the scientist Franco Rasetti, describes the serious yet playful atmosphere of the years that Rasetti shared at Arcetri with Fermi (1924-1926), when Rasetti worked as assistant to Prof. Antonio Garbasso and Fermi was teaching rational mechanics and mathematical physics at the newly founded University of Florence. The reproduction of the letter is also an opportunity to reveal some anecdotes and character traits of the women in the lives of the two Arcetri scientists who became the soul of the Via Panisperna boys.
The article presents an in-depth analysis of the topics covered by this second Vasco Ronchi Colloquium (VRC), held on March 27th 2024 at the Arcetri headquarters of the National Institute of Optics of CNR, entitled “(QU)BITS OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER” and focusing on quantum technologies for sensing and security. The VR Colloquia are a format of brief targeted meetings, designed specifically by CNR-INO for boosting the interaction between researchers from the institute and businesses with an effective approach which could trigger the start of a collaboration aimed at the technology transfer of the research results. The two VRCs experienced at CNR-INO have proven effective in capturing corporate interest and initiating collaborations for the transfer of technologies to the market, both with lower and higher TRLs. The fields of application of quantum technologies developed at CNR-INO and presented here range from biomedical imaging to next-generation sensors, to new data encoding methods for secure applications and transmissions. The experience of a spin-off in the reference sector that participates in the VRC serves as an important example of successful technology transfer in this specific market. At the same time, the VRC provides a valuable opportunity for spin-offs, offering a boost for potential new trade connections and opportunities for collaboration with entrepreneurs.
From September 17 to 20, 2024, the annual Congress of the Italian Society of Historians of Physics and Astronomy (SISFA) was held at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Florence and the INAF-Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory. The Congress was an excellent example of the cultural activities that the “Colle di Galileo” memorandum of understanding (signed by CNR, INAF, INFN, and UNIFI) aims to promote and enhance.
